Parmesan twist: Transforming green beans beyond ordinary

At first, they might not believe you when you say this ingredient goes well with green beans. Later, when you take the finished dish out of the oven, they'll say they want to taste it. Ultimately, before you know it, the whole portion will be gone. And who's responsible for that? Well, not who, but what!

Green beans are one of my seasonal plants. However, I must admit that serving them with butter and breadcrumbs has become boring. Okay, maybe that’s an overstatement, but I'm sure you sometimes crave a slight change. So, you understand I had to find an alternative to this method. Fortunately, the solution came quite quickly. And although the ingredient I decided to add to the beans might initially spark some controversy, I guarantee that once you try the result of this recipe, you’ll come around to it.

What mysterious ingredient takes green beans to an entirely new dimension of flavour? Although you can find this product in almost any store, its history and origin trace back to a particular country on the Apennine Peninsula. I'm talking about Italy and their famous cheese product: parmesan. This ingredient is the key to the whole recipe; sprinkle it on the beans, add a few more spices, and you're done. Below, I present a simple example recipe. You’ll undoubtedly manage it!

Ingredients:

• 500 grams green beans,
• 85 grams Parmesan,
• 2 cloves of garlic,
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
• salt, pepper,
• half a lemon.

Preparation:

1. Wash the beans and trim the ends. If they have tough strings, it’s worth removing them. This is very easy—for details, click here.
2. Transfer the beans to a bowl and season with salt, pepper, minced garlic, and a small amount of lemon juice. Also, add the olive oil and mix everything.
3. Transfer the seasoned beans to a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes at 200°C (392°F). Enjoy!